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Sneak more protein into your morning with these high protein banana muffins. They taste like banana bread without using flour!
Protein banana bread muffins are the perfect meal prep option for an easy breakfast or snack. They are naturally dairy-free and gluten-free and are made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. (No gluten-free flour required!)
The natural sweetness from bananas paired with honey makes these muffins taste like a slice of banana bread. Only these bake faster and have 9 grams of protein each!
protein powder Tip
I keep unsweetened plant-based protein powder in my pantry. It does NOT taste delicious, but you can’t taste it in the final muffins. You can likely use whey protein powder or a different vegan protein powder, but if it’s sweetened, that could affect the flavor.
How to Make Banana Protein Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with 12 parchment paper liners. (These muffins will want to stick to the muffin liners, so parchment paper makes life easier.)
In a large bowl, mash 3 large ripe bananas with a fork until relatively smooth.
Next, add:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup protein powder (~2 scoops)
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using unsalted peanut butter, add a little more)
substitution Tips
You can swap the baking powder for a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. If you don’t keep honey or maple syrup on hand, you can use a 1/4 cup of brown sugar instead.
Stir well until the batter looks smooth. There should be no visible lumps of protein powder in the mix.
Even though the batter is thick, I find using a whisk to mix it helpful. You can also use an electric hand mixer.
Fold in a 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, shredded coconut, or chopped walnuts if you like. (The added texture is recommended.)
Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until the muffin tops feel firm to the touch.
Test them with a toothpick in the center to ensure there’s no wet batter in the middle. Let these cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve protein banana muffins at room temperature for the best flavor. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or toss them into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. (Thaw overnight before serving again.)
Warm these muffins up in the microwave for 20 seconds if you prefer a warm option.
Looking for more protein-packed recipes? Try Protein Waffles, Protein Pancakes, Protein Cookies, or Protein Balls.
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- ¾ cup peanut butter (see notes)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened protein powder
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. These muffins tend to stick to the muffin liners because there's no oil in the batter, so I don't recommend simply greasing the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the 3 bananas with a fork until they look like puree. Then add in the peanut butter, eggs, protein powder, honey, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir well, breaking up any lumps you see in the batter. (Using a whisk helps with this, even though the batter is thick!)
- Fold in the chocolate chips, if using, then divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. This batter should fill the muffin cups up nearly to the top. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until the tops of the muffins feel firm to the touch.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then they are ready to enjoy. Because these muffins are so moist, I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these Banana Protein Muffins, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like them.
Perfection! Doubled the recipe and filled muffin tins 3/4 full instead of to the top and was so pleased it made 2.5 dozen regular muffins AND 2 dozen mini muffins. Perfect for ski weekend snacks! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for the recipe.. I used almond cashew butter and added some psyllium husk powder for fiber and orgain vanilla protein powder sweetened I omitted the honey came out great !!
Fantastic recipe! I used processed peanut butter (Jiff), left out the sweetener all together and added in some flax seeds. Turned out amazing – loved the fluffy texture. Thanks for the great recipe!
Very good! The muffins were moist, and tasty! I added 1/4 cup (30 grams) of cocoa nibs, and 1/4 cup (30 grams) of pumpkin seeds. I eat them with cheese, fruit, and veggie sticks for an easy, portable, quick lunch! Than you!!
Looks delicious. Can you add protein powder to any muffin recipe?
You can likely swap it for some of the flour in a recipe, but protein powder is “chalky” in comparison, so it won’t be a 1:1 swap. I’d probably start by swapping a 1/2 cup of flour for a 1/4 cup of protein powder to see how it turns out… but that would definitely be an experiment, so I’m not 100% sure how that would turn out. That’s why I test my recipes multiple times before sharing!
These turned out very tasty. I used vanilla protein powder that is sweetened with stevia. What I had on hand. So, I only added maybe a tablespoon of honey. Also used homemade almond butter, left out the chocolate chips. These have a nice texture and good flavor. Thank you for the recipe!
Can you use cashew butter instead of peanut butter?
Yes, definitely! If your cashew butter is not salted, I’d add a pinch more. Hope you enjoy these!
Can the eggs be replaced with flax or chia eggs?
The eggs provide most of the structure for this recipe, so my guess is that a flax or chia egg will leave the centers feeling gooey. But feel free to experiment with it! I’ve had decent luck with Bob’s Red Mill Egg replacement (which has psyllium and potato starch) in other recipes.
Can you use Almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Yes, definitely!